A new United Nations mission chief arrived in Kabul Saturday to take up his post after a difficult year that saw the mission divided over election fraud and forced to cut back staff after a deadly attack. Italian-Swedish diplomat Staffan de Mistura, who has previously held the same role in Iraq, promised to help improve the lives of ordinary Afghans while respecting the sovereignty of their government. “The Afghan people have suffered a lot and have endured a lot of difficult times. They deserve international support, but they deserve above all a better future. And the UN will do its part,” he told reporters at Kabul's airport after his arrival. “I am totally aware of the fact that the Afghan people are very proud people, very attached to their own sovereignty and independence, and I will be working along those lines,” he said. “Whatever the UN will be doing – and we will be doing what we can in order to assist both the stability and the socio-economic improvement of the Afghan people – it will be done remembering that it should be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and in total respect of their own sovereignty.” The UN mission in Kabul suffered last year from a public quarrel between its outgoing head, Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide, and his American deputy, Peter Galbraith, who accused Eide of trying to cover up massive fraud in the vote that ultimately saw President Hamid Karzai re-elected. Eide denied trying to cover up fraud and Galbraith was fired. In the end, a five-member watchdog that included three members appointed by Eide threw out nearly a third of votes cast for Karzai, forcing a second-round run-off which was cancelled when Karzai's opponent withdrew. Days before the second round was cancelled, militants stormed a UN guest house in Kabul, killing five UN staff. The mission evacuated hundreds of staff members and sharply cut back its presence in Kabul. Political pressure is not likely to let up this year, with a parliamentary election due in May. Karzai is insisting that he be allowed to name the members of the elections watchdog.
